


Friendzone

by zkdlee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24948820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zkdlee/pseuds/zkdlee
Summary: You confessed your feelings to your best friend, Mark Lee, which was a clear mistake, as he didn’t reciprocate them. But when you go out for pizza with the Dreamies, Mark suddenly realizes that maybe he was wrong.WARNINGS: language, angst in the beginning, lots of cheesy fluff at the end trust me it’s worth it
Relationships: Mark Lee (NCT)/Reader
Kudos: 51





	Friendzone

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

You faced your friend awkwardly. You had confessed your feelings to him three days ago, and you hadn’t seen each other since. Now, his hair falling in his eyes and his bottom lip between his teeth, all you wanted to do was cry. 

“Jeez, who died?” Haechan snorted. You let out a breathy laugh. It was obviously forced. If either of them noticed, they didn’t say anything. 

You walked between the two, down the street to your favorite pizza place. 

“Jaemin told me everyone’s already there.”

“I can’t wait to meet everyone,” you smiled. 

Mark was silent. 

The three of you entered the restaurant, heading to a table in the back where four boy were laughing raucously. 

“Hey guys!” Haechan waved. They caught sight of you and beckoned to come closer, wide smiles on their faces. 

“This is (y/n)!”

“Hi (y/n)!” They chorused in unison. You beamed at them, your spirits momentarily lifted at the sight of the four boys that were so anxious to meet you.

“Sit down! Let’s order something!” A handsome boy with a square jaw smiled warmly. 

About twenty minutes in, you had everyone’s names down. You didn’t expect everyone to be so outgoing, especially Jeno, who was very obviously flirting with you. You should’ve been thrilled. It wasn’t often a cute guy was so forward with you. But with Mark right next to you, and his polite rejection still stinging the backs of your eyes... you couldn’t. 

Speaking of Mark, he was shifting uncomfortably across the table, glancing at his younger friend with frustration. You followed his gaze to see Jeno smirking at you. 

“Hey (y/n)?” You finished chewing your pizza, momentarily caught off guard. 

“Yeah?”

“Would you wanna hang out with me after all this? You know... just us?”

Your face went beet red. Everyone went quiet. You had no idea how to respond, especially with Mark’s strong stare burning into the side of your face. 

“Like... a date?” You questioned, clearing your throat nervously. 

“Yeah. Would you wanna go on a date with me?”

“No!” Mark blurted. Everyone’s heads whipped to stare at him. He looked shocked at his own interruption, cheeks tinted a soft pink and his soft brown eyes wide with surprise. 

“Uh... Mark?” Renjun frowned.

“I get she’s your friend, but you can’t really make the decision for her,” Jisung mumbled. 

“Can we talk?” Mark turned to you, his voice quiet. “Alone?”

“Um... yeah. Sure.” You both stood up and walked outside the restaurant.

Mark took a deep breath, and you mimicked his movement, the warm summer air filling your lungs with a heavy humidity. 

“(y/n)...”

“Why did you do that?” You asked before you could stop yourself. 

“I... what?”

“I told you how I felt. And you told me how you felt. You promised it wouldn’t be awkward. But a guy shows interest in me and you... you do  that ?”

Tears pricked your eyes. Mark noticed. 

“(y/n)... I’m sorry. I’m really fucking sorry.”

You shook your head. 

“I don’t want an apology. You can’t control the way you feel. You shouldn’t have to apologize for that. But I can’t change the way  I feel if you don’t let me see other guys!”

“I lied!”

“What?”

“I lied, okay! I was scared. Hell, I’m still scared. (y/n), you’re my best friend. When people are this close, it’s supposed to be a sibling bond, not something romantic. Because when those kinds of feelings get involved, it just gets messy. And when...” he choked on his words, recovering quickly. “When I found out I had feelings for you, my first instinct was to never contact you again. But I couldn’t do that. So I held your hand and let you fall asleep on my shoulder because I love you. Even though it hurt like hell. Because we were best friends. I didn’t want to fuck that up. 

“And then... and then you told me how you felt. Fuck, I had so many thoughts when I first read your text. I was beyond excited. Cause here I was struggling to keep my own feelings hidden, thinking it was one-sided. But then I realized... what would happen if it didn’t work? If we broke up? We could never go back to the way we were. Ever. There’s just no way. And that fucking scared me, (y/n). If there’s one thing I would never,  _ ever _ want, it’s to lose you. So I lied. I told you I didn’t feel that way. That we’re better off as friends. That it couldn’t work out because I don’t see you aren’t right for me, even though you’re perfect. God, you’re fucking perfect, (y/n). And seeing you today... it made me regret everything. I wanna take it all back. You gave me this look that just... I almost fucking broke. I wish I hadn’t hurt you. Then Jeno started flirting with you and everything just got so messed up in my head that I couldn’t do it anymore. 

“So yeah, I’m still scared. And I doubt after everything that happened you won’t give me a chance. I understand that. I-I just... I need you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I can’t undo what I did. But I can apologize and hope that we can maybe, somehow move on from this.”

You were speechless. 

“Mark...”

He gazed down at you, biting his lip. You almost sobbed at the nervous habit. You loved him. He knew you better than anyone else. No one else could make you feel the same. 

“What do you want?” You asked in a small voice. 

“What... what do I want?”

“Mhm,” you nodded. 

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah,” he cracked a smile, staring at his shoes. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. You couldn’t help but smile. 

“It’s only been three days, you know. If you think I don’t still like you, you’re insane.”

“I guess I’m insane then.”

He met your eyes, his grin fading slightly. 

“Please let me... let me make it up to you. I’ll bring you on quiet picnics and road trips and long walks by the ocean. I’ll keep you safe when you get scared and I’ll make you laugh when you’re sad.”

“Mark... you do that already.” A laugh escaped your lips. 

“I’ll kiss you.”

You swallowed at his words, eyes flickering down to his lips and back up to his eyes. 

“I’ll hold you. I’ll tell you I love you every chance I get. Because I do. I really fucking love you, (y/n).”

“I’m scared, too, Mark. I am. But... I wanna do it. I wanna date. Because I can’t keep pretending I don’t have feelings for you.”

“I believe in us,” he smiled. You mirrored him. 

“Fuck, that was really cheesy,” he complained. You beamed and squeezed him in a hug. He hugged your even tighter back. 

“Don’t even let me go,” you whispered subconsciously. He kissed the top of your head. 

“Never.”


End file.
